Niko’s Kantina Ride: Happy Festivus!

Niko’s Kantina Ride: Happy Festivus!

After a quick glance on the map, I came to the conclusion that I’ll be riding something like 1800 kilometers in two days. My personal ironbutt challenge.

From San Miguel, to Playa del Carmen in order to meet an old friend Julien, who was about to leave in the next days. Further motivation were more friends from the diving industry who also leave there, diving in the cenotes and good time spent on the nice Carribean coast. One of my favorite places on Earth.

900 kilometers in a day, mostly trucking on highways, some little detours to enjoy the scenery. Pre-Christmas processions and yeah. Fiesta. Like all Mexico, all the time.

Got my first rain in this country and realized the roads are like ice when wet. Especially in Playa. Rode some of the worse roads to get there, maybe 20 kilometers in total, but it was nightmareish. Riding in Albania seems like a joke in confront to that. Second day riding, somewhere in Tabasco counrty I got a total topes overdose. For those who are not familiar with that, topes are some sort of speed bumps, but that have a life of their own. Mostly they aggregate around inhabited areas, but sometimes you find them at random, around intersections or any place where they want to slow you down. There are not two topes who are the same. Some are painted, marked with a sign, some are not. Some are high and wide, some just high, some are just dirt, some are made of metal and slick as banana peels, some are fun to jump over. I like them, because they are a very effective way to slow traffic. I hate them, because like in Tabasco, they happen to be 50 meters apart, for kilometers! So it feels more like a motocross heat on a loaded bike than anything else.

After arriving to Playa del Carmen, I met with the extended family and relaxed for a couple of days. After that, I decided it’s time to find a quiet spot for New Years celebrations. So I went to Tulum, Playa las palmas, found a campsite next to the sea and enjoyed the “buena onda” with the local hippies and causal travelers, musicians and so on and so forth. Swiming three times a day and diving every now and then. Ceviche and shrimp tacos. High life.